Teachers' predictions and pupils' destinies: A West African survey

This article presents a case study of the primary schooling and post-primary careers of a group of West African pupils. Their school performance and later careers were studied in relation to a number of variables, some relating to the school itself, others to background factors. Among the most important of the former were the predictions made by teachers about the pupils' ability to succeed. While teachers' predictions tended to be fairly accurate, they also functioned to some extent as self-fulfilling prophecies. The study shows that socio-economic and cultural variables are as important as school variables in explaining variations in former pupils' geographical location and socio-economic position eight to nine years later. The study has implications in relation to the improvement of the quality of primary education, since out-of-school variables cannot be manipulated through educational policies alone.

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Zusammenfassung In dem vorliegenden Artikel werden Ergebnisse einer westafrikanischen Studie dargestellt, die sich mit dem Schulbesuch und mit der Laufbahn nach abgeschlossenem Schulbesuch beschäftigt. Die Ausbildung der Schüler in zwei senegalischen Dörfern und ihre Laufbahn nach der Ausbildung werden im Verhältnis zu gewissen Schulvariablen und Hintergrundsvariablen studiert. Unter den erstgenannten waren die Voraussagen der Lehrer über die Möglichkeit der Schüler, von einer Klasse in die nächste versetzt zu werden, wichtig. Die Annahmen der Lehrer waren ziemlich sicher, aber sie funktionierten auch in hohem Grade als selbsterfüllende Prognosen. Die Studie zeigt, daß sozioökonomische und kulturelle Variablen genauso aussagekräftig sind wie Schulvariablen, wenn man die Unterschiede in dem geographischen Wohnort und in der sozioökonomischen Position der früheren Schüler acht bis neun Jahre später erklären will. Das hat Implikationen für eine Menge Richtlinien und Vorschläge, die in den letzten Jahren im Hinblick auf die Verbessergung der Qualität der Schule vorgelegt wurden, weil sich die Variablen außerhalb der Schule durch rein bildungspolitische Maßnahmen nicht manipulieren lassen.

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Resumen Este artículo presenta los resultados de un estudio que se ocupa de la enseñanza primarla y de las carreras post-primarias en un grupo de alumnos de Africa Occidental. La formación que recibieron los alumnos en dos pueblos senegaleses y las carreras que hicieron después de la escuela se estudian en cuanto a determinadas variables; relacionadas con la escuela misma y con el medio. Una de las más importantes de la primera catgoría eran las predicciones que los maestros hacían sobre las posibilidades que tendrían los alumnos de pasar al grado superior. las suposiciones de los maestros eran bastante acertadas, pero también funcionaban, en bueno grado, como pronósticos que se cumplirían automáticamente. El estudio demuestra que las variables socioeconómicas y culturales son tan importantes como las variables escolares, si se quieren explicar, ocho u nueve años desputés, las diferencias en localizatión geográfica y posición socioeconómica de los antiguou alumnos. Esto tiene implicaciones en una cantidad de directivas y sugerencias que se presentaron en los ültimos años para mejorar la calidad de la enseñanza primaria, ya que las variables del entorno extra-escolar no pueden manipularse a través de meras medidas de política educacional.

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Résumé Cet article présente une étude de cas en Afrique Occidentale se rapportant à l'enseignement primaire et aux carrières post-primaires, le succès scolaire des élèves ainsi que leurs carrières sont examinés par rapport à des variables scolaires et des variables concernant le milieu de l'élève constituent les variables importantes. Ces prédictions sont pluôt exactes, mais dans une certaine mesure elles relèvent de la prédiction qui s'accomplit automatiquement. L'étude démontre que les variables socio-économiques et culturelles sont aussi importantes que les variables scolaires; elles expliques les variations les variations dans la localisation géographique ainsi que le statut socio-économique de l'élève entre huit ans et neuf ans plus tard. Ceci a des implications pour un grand nombre de suggestions soumises récemment pour améliorer la qualité de l'enseignement primaire primaire étant donné qu'il est impossible de modifier les variables extra-scolaires uniquement à travers la politique de l'éducation.

     

Credibility and Economic Value in the Visual Arts

The paper states that the quality of visual arts cannot be measured objectively. An artist must be credible to the public in order to generate economic value. How is credibility and thus economic value generated on the market? To judge the quality of arts, it takes experts. They form a worldwide network relationship and apply cultural knowledge, a highly specific type of knowledge which requires lifelong learning. Cultural knowledge is only in part of a factual nature and includes subjective elements. Since the public cannot in general ascertain the quality of an artist's oeuvre directly, experts must themselves be credible to the public in order to lend credibility to a given oeuvre. It is shown that the process by which experts generate public credibility for a given oeuvre is path dependent, i.e., may by chance end up at inferior solutions.     

Einschätzungen der schulischen Motivation und des Arbeitsverhaltens durch Grundschullehrkräfte und deren Bedeutung für Verzerrungen in Leistungserwartungen

Several studies have shown that teachers’ achievement expectations for their students may be biased to some extent by students’ ethnic or social background as well as gender. The present study investigates whether these biases in teachers’ expectations of students’ performance in early language and mathematics are partly explained by differences in teachers’ perceptions of students’ motivation and learning behaviour. The analyses are based on data from a sample of N?=?901 first-grade students from N?=?66 classrooms with 69 teachers. The results support the hypothesis for biases associated with social background and gender. Ethnic bias, however, occurred independently of differences in perceived motivation and learning behaviour. We discuss the relevance of stereotypical assumptions for teaching as well as educational disparities.     

Changing ideas about the periodic table of elements and students' alternative concepts of isotopes and allotropes

The Periodic Table of Elements (PTE) is one of the organizing principles in chemistry. Originally it was a list of elements (as substances). Later, the PTE developed into a list of atoms of the elements. However, isotopes and allotropes are difficult to integrate into the PTE. Therefore, difficulties in understanding these terms can be expected. The investigation set off to study secondary school students' concepts of isotopes and allotropes and how the concepts are linked to the PTE. Three specific research questions were addressed: (a) How do secondary school students describe the relationship between fundamental particles constituting an atom? (b) How do they conceive isotopes? and (c) What are students' concepts of graphite and diamond? Multiple choice items were given to 3074 senior high school students. In addition, six interviews were conducted with senior high school students. The data analysis revealed students' alternative concepts, which distinguished between standard atoms and atoms of isotopes. Standard atoms contain neutrons and protons in equal numbers and are more stable. The atomic masses are expressed as integers. Moreover, students considered graphite and diamond as isotopes. The analysis of the results shows that students actively tried to make sense of what they had experienced. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 257–277, 2003     

The Role of Teachers and Schooling Experiences in Learners’ Adult Life Quality: A Senegalese Case Study

School attended, Qur’anic education attendance, fathers’ occupation, and some aspects of teachers’ classroom actions make a difference for the adult life of the former learners. This paper presents findings from a longitudinal study of the career and life situations of Senegalese individuals who were of school age in the beginning of the 1980s. Data was collected on teacher ratings and predictions of school success as well as absenteeism during the academic year 1980/1981. In a follow up study in 1999/2000 the individuals were 25-32 years old and they were interviewed and tested on a simple life-skills test.     

Privatisation,Decentralisation And Governance In Education In The Czech Republic,England, France,Germany And Sweden

The Czech Republic, England, France, Germany and Sweden differ culturally and economically, but they commonly exhibit general trends of decentralisation in the control of educational processes and outcomes. The present contribution looks at these five European countries as the venue for case studies in educational restructuring as well as evaluation, assessment and reporting. It shows that such trends have been most radical in the Czech Republic and Sweden, while England has centralised curriculum policy and France has devolved some decision-making to bodies at lower levels, but as representatives of the central state.     

Evaluation and Opportunities in Overtraining Approaches

Overtraining (OT) as a sports phenomenon can be caused by stressors on various levels (physical, emotional, psychological, and social) and evokes responses on these levels. This study evaluated research and new opportunities in the field of OT by introducing an integrated multidisciplinary approach, based on the single and multistressors approach. The single stressor approach focuses on the training load-recovery imbalance, which results in a stagnating performance, excluding the etiology by nonsport-related factors. The multistressors approach includes all factors as relevant in the etiology of a stagnating performance. In future studies on OT, an integrative approach should not only highlight changes in training regimes and specific responses to training stressors but also focus on the role of training-related recovery, the impact of stressors, and personality factors influencing stress appraisal. This will provide a better insight into the etiology and consequences of OT, necessary for prevention and treatment in sport practice, and enhance the focus on adequate recovery (good sleep, sufficient rest periods) and athletes' stress-related responses.